


tomorrow gets me higher

by samberto



Series: pressure 'verse [2]
Category: Young Avengers (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-29 16:40:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17207072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samberto/pseuds/samberto
Summary: "Tommy, what are we?" David asks one night, one arm wrapped around Tommy, who's flipping through channels."We're Tommy and David," because a wrong answer is better than none at all, right? Maybe not.





	tomorrow gets me higher

**Author's Note:**

> HIGHLY suggest reading on the edge of the night first!!! as always, Love They

The first time Tommy shows up to a G/SA meeting, David keeps his cool. On face value, it’s emotional support for Kate and an excuse not to drive home only to drive back to pick Billy up, but Tommy knows better, and judging by the smirk David sends him, he’s picked up on it too. Tommy and Luna spend the weekend at David and Kim’s whenever they can (“She left her pillow there,” Tommy says, knowing her pillow is in his trunk while messaging David _Yeah, I can spend the night_ ), pee-wee games put them closer together, Tommy a row above David, letting his foot tap a rhythm beside David’s head.

 

“Tommy?” David asks one night in late November, a little quiet after a steady round of making out, one arm draped around Tommy’s shoulder and the other checking his watch, “What are we?”

It’s out of the blue for Tommy, something unexpected and something that he has no immediate answer to, which only makes his reply worse. “We’re Tommy and David," is what he decides on after some beats of silence, feeling that the wrong answer is better than none at all. He knows the answer is wrong to David, that it should be something more (and Tommy wants that too, badly) but he can’t bring himself to call it that.

“That’s all it is?” David asks again, this time even more timid and the all is just as painful as Tommy imagines his own reply must have been.

“David, you know what I mean,” Tommy tries again, this time pressing more emotion into his words, trying his hardest to convey that this is the _one goddamn time_ that his mouth isn’t moving as fast as his mind is.

“Tommy, I’ll see you Monday.” David says, clearing his throat and smoothing out his shirt, opening the door as invitation for Tommy to leave.

 

The drive home is deafening, not radio only humming in and out of local news networks and NPR (David’s choice), and there’s a sad part of him tangling around the pain to say See, you knew it wasn’t going to work out, which he wishes he could push back further. The lane seems longer down the road and the forceful slam of the door (an accident on his part) is enough to jolt Viv away from her phone.

“Is everything okay, Tommy?” She wonders aloud, patting the seat next to her, and Tommy knows his half-sister is the best person on the planet, and takes the seat, doing nothing further than huffing and rubbing his palms over his face.

“I fucked up," he manages dryly.

“I can figure that much out,” is Viv’s reply, and bless her, because he manages to flash her a genuine smile. Viv comforts him as he tells her the ever-progressing tale of Tommy Shepherd’s stupidity, she’s responsive to his needs and tells him that he needs to

_Come out tonight_ , Kate texts while he’s microwaving ice cream (a useful trick taught to him by Kim). _Sure that’s the best idea?_ is his reply, once he’s pressed himself under a heavy blanket on the couch. _Better than you sitting at home moping,_ followed quickly by _Do you really think I don’t know you this well?_ And he can’t disagree. Kate picks him up 20 minutes later and they’re parked outside ( _David’s house is two blocks away, go make up with him_ , is a chide he forces out with a cigarette he grabs off of Nate Richards) when America taps on the window and the trio head in. The party’s loud and vibrant, beats shaking his vision, and that’s all before Chase Stein offers him a drink. It’s a little over an hour later when he’s got his mouth locked onto Megan Gwynn’s collarbone, her own shirt tossed aside, the room empty until Kate walks in with America, and, upon the sight, drops her girlfriend’s hand to apologetically usher Megan out of the room.

“Tommy, what the hell were you doing?” She practically screams, the sounds of the party below still vibrating through the room, drowning out her tantrum from the rest of the world.

“My best.” Tommy laughs, rubbing at his eyes.

“What about David?” Kate hisses at him, hurt obvious even in her eyes.

“I’m over that, Katie,” it’s a bold-faced lie, they both know it, but America, who’s holding the door closed for them, gapes.

“I’m calling Billy,” her no-nonsense voice cuts through his hazy mind, beginning to understand that he’s hitting rock bottom and crashing through every ledge on the way down. “You’re going home, you were right, this was a bad idea, and I think you’re going to have more than just a headache in the morning.” Kate says with a sense of finality. “We’ll wait with you, but, Christ, Tommy.”

When Billy shows up, he’s kind enough at the door, thanking America and Kate for taking care of him. Of course, on the way out, stumbling on Billy’s arm, Billy starts tutting at him, “All you do is run, Tommy,” is the first, then it’s “Kate told me what happened. Since when were you and David a thing?” Even impaired, Tommy is out of line.

“Why do I owe it to you to tell you who I’m seeing?” Tommy spits, harsher than he intends, but falls into the passenger’s seat and does his seatbelt up anyways ( _David is still over there_ , his mind coos at him again, and as the car starts to drive off, the part of his stomach that’s not yet feeling sick starts to sink).

“I’m just saying, I don’t see why you didn’t, it’s not like I would have said anything bad about it,” Billy explains, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel as he sets off to Riri’s house to drop Viv off.

“Fuck off, I don’t need a lecture right now.” Tommy whines, anger bubbling up inside him.

The back and forth continues, hurling insults until Billy screams “At least I fucking bothered to come out to you,” as they pull into Riri’s driveway, slamming the car into park.

“Billy!” Viv shouts from the backseat, unusual and harsh, and by the time Tommy turns around to see tears bubbling in her eyes she’s well on her way with another point to prove. “God _dammit_! Leave him be for one fucking minute. Take care of him, he’s your brother and, if you haven’t picked it up by now, he needs your goddamn help!”

“Shouldn’t be my responsibility.” Billy mumbles, and even though Tommy knows he deserves it, it still stings.

“Well it is.” She says, emotion out of her voice as she slams the door, and runs to Riri’s door, and then she’s gone. For what it’s worth, an apology works its way from Billy and the drive home, the tenseness drowned out with some of Billy’s strange indie music.

Billy has yet to unlock the doors when they’ve parked in the driveway when he scratches at his face for a moment and then says, “Hey, I really am sorry for how I acted tonight. I was a fucking prick.”

“Oh, you have no idea.” Tommy replies lightly, and Billy shakes his head at that but unlocks the doors and invites Tommy for a marathon of some niche 90s sitcom. As they head in, Tommy calls out to Billy, “I appreciate it. Me too, man.”

The show is tolerable. Funny but awkward, and it’s halfway through when it unleashes something absolutely prophetic onto him. Two of the characters are in an argument, and when one walks off, Tommy can feel a wave of embarrassment flush over him, realizing _Oh_ , that’s why Billy picked this one.

_“You’ve got to show people you feel about them, Casey,”_ one of the characters says, and this feels a little too tongue in cheek the way Billy is looking back and forth between him and the screen.

_“Why do I have to prove it to him?”_

_“He feels like a consolation prize._ ”

_“He’s not.”_ The reply from the character, Casey, is almost instantaneous, and Tommy gapes slightly at the realization that the knee-jerk reaction from Casey is the same that Tommy had to the possibility of the same words being said about David.

_“Tell him. So you say a few words, you make a gesture, remember an important date. Small price to pay for what you get in return. For what you get in return, it's a steal. The rest is all vanity,”_ the first character, Isaac, says and the show continues, awkward but still managing to get some chuckles out of the brothers.

Once the DVD is finished playing back, Tommy turns to Billy, “I have a gesture to make.”

“Yeah you do.” Billy hums, not even bothering to look up from his notebook. “But not right now. I’ll drop some aspirin by your bed for the morning.”

 

Monday’s G/SA meeting goes about as well as Tommy would expect. Kate is doing her best to be supportive throughout the day, hyping Tommy up ahead of seeing David again. He sits in the back of the room while Billy and David talk about the success of their National Coming Out Day fundraiser, and announce the Holiday Party, an event held annually to encourage positivity before going back to family who might not be as accepting as G/SA. Tommy’s been on set up with Billy and Viv before, so it’s not a far stretch that he’ll go this time too, right? David sets out early, an AP Physics project he has to talk to a teacher about before they leave, and Kate looks at him, eyes eager for Tommy to do something other than just stand there.

“David, hey, wait up,” Tommy yells down the hall, watching David turn around, no emotion pressed on his face (which, in some aspects, is worse than even one out of anger).

“What is it, Tommy?”

“When I said it,” _We’re Tommy & David_, a phrase that’s been on near constant repetition since Friday night, “I only did because I wasn’t sure how you wanted it to be.”

“Really, Tommy? Are you that stupid?” David stops, turns back to face him, and Tommy realizes that David’s face is contorted in frustration, and Tommy’s on a minefield. One misstep and he’s out of the game.

“At Halloween, you were right – the, uh, ‘I think it might be a family thing,’ right before we kissed. I think it is. Billy showed me this TV show after a stupid party I went to, and I thought it was just out of the blue, but it taught me something.”

“What did it teach you, Tommy?” David asks, deadpan, annoyance nearly tangible.

“That people can’t read my mind,” it sounds stupid when it comes out, but it makes David smirk just a little bit, “What I mean by that, before you laugh, is that I need to express my feelings more. And pick up on other people’s more. I’ve had my ass handed to me this weekend by Kate and Viv and Billy, and they all told me that I must be blind to not see how you feel. And I’m sorry about that, I am. I want to make things right.”

“Whoa,” is all David says, obviously taken aback. “Tommy, I appreciate it, I really do, but I need just a little bit to think it over, okay?” Ouch. And, before he can get his jaw off the ground, David’s in the stairwell and gone.

Tommy walks back into the room to expectant faces who he can only supply a sad, awkward, self-deprecating smile to. No one really  _acknowledges_ it, but Billy and Viv are good enough to treat him with some level of fragility.

 

That night, his phone pings with a text from David. _I’m sorry for running off, Dr. Banner’s been giving me shit for being off my game these past few weeks so I was making up assignments. Bet you can guess why,_ which feels more like an attempt to get into Tommy’s good graces as a friend, which is tough, but Tommy understands.

_Haha, it’s all good. Sorry for that big spiel earlier, and your AP Physics grade, I guess,_ Tommy replies, feeling like he’s flying under the radar.

_Tommy you’re fucking stupid sometimes. I was just overwhelmed and had to get to Banner before he left, look. I shouldn’t have pushed you into that boyfriend slot so quickly, I really appreciated your apology earlier, but I didn’t have the chance to say it back. So, I’m sorry,_ is David’s response after three minutes of waiting nervously. 

_David, I don't want to rush into anything. I like you. A lot. I don't wanna fuck it up._

_I can tell. I agree._

_I want to make it up_ , Tommy texts, involuntarily starting to tap his foot  

_You don't have to_ , David replies, fast but not fast enough to beat Tommy's next text.

_The Holiday Party. I'll pick you up at 5,_ before quickly following up with,  _If you want to_.

_Yeah. That would be really nice_. And, with that reply, Tommy finds himself involuntarily smiling, falling asleep with a newfound sense of security.

 

The rest of the week leading up to Friday’s Holiday Party is a grace period. Tommy feels himself climbing up from that rock bottom, with some help from David, Kate, Viv, and Billy. Friday night arrives with Tommy at David’s door, corsage in hand. David gets a kick out of it, and Kim finds it just as adorable, welcoming Tommy back with a hug.

The dance is quiet, they’re the only ones dressed up, everyone else is socializing while they’re on the side, alone, using Tommy’s phone as a speaker for dance music, when Tommy catches himself with a question, “David?”

“Yeah, Tommy?” David hums, arms still pressed around his waist comfortably.

“I’m sorry for this clusterfuck.” He breathes out, letting his head drop against David’s shoulder to keep from the tears which definitely aren’t welling up from falling.

“I know. I’m sorry too.” The dancing pauses, David grounds them both as his hands snake up Tommy’s back to hold his head in his hands, letting his own head rest on Tommy’s, the same deep breaths coming from him.

 

(“They know it’s not that kind of Holiday Party, right?” Amadeus asks, looking at David and Tommy who are dressed to the nines while he’s in a trashy band shirt.

“Yeah, they’re just fucking disasters,” Riri moans, watching David twirl Tommy to Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah song.

“You have no idea.” Viv grumbles, rolling her eyes before placing down another card in her, Miles, Kamala, Nadia, Amka, Riri, and Sam’s game of blackjack.)


End file.
